As you know by now this blog is all about superconductors, so I bet you're wondering, why is this post about the different types of diabetes Well, this post is not, in fact, a post on diabetes but about two different types of superconducting materials. Type one superconductors were the first type to be discovered and have a few quirky traits.
They are mostly elements and have "perfect" diamagnetism. When they enter the superconductive state, the resistance suddenly drops to zero, as shown by the picture above. Type ones are mainly metals and metaloids and form only at very, very (7 K) low temperatures. From now on we'll refer to these types of superconductors as "soft" ones, while type two will be called "hard". To access a list of soft superconductors, click here.
Hard superconductors are almost 100% man-made alloys and metaloid compounds. They were first created in 1930 but not recognized until after the discovery of the Meisner effect. These superconductors are created using the layer cake method. This makes these types of superconductors more stable at higher temperature, allowing them to be nicknamed "high temperature" superconductors (30 degrees Celsius). Hard superconductors are broken up into more specific categories based on the ratio of the elements, such as the perovskites. Due to the hard superconductors stability at high temperatures, they are much better for industrial use (Maglev trains, MRI machines) than soft ones.
Some believe that there will be a limit on the temperature that hard superconductors will be able function but as of right now we have not found such a limit. Personally, I believe that as the technology we create improves, so will the top temperature and the usability of these superconductors.
They are mostly elements and have "perfect" diamagnetism. When they enter the superconductive state, the resistance suddenly drops to zero, as shown by the picture above. Type ones are mainly metals and metaloids and form only at very, very (7 K) low temperatures. From now on we'll refer to these types of superconductors as "soft" ones, while type two will be called "hard". To access a list of soft superconductors, click here.
Hard superconductors are almost 100% man-made alloys and metaloid compounds. They were first created in 1930 but not recognized until after the discovery of the Meisner effect. These superconductors are created using the layer cake method. This makes these types of superconductors more stable at higher temperature, allowing them to be nicknamed "high temperature" superconductors (30 degrees Celsius). Hard superconductors are broken up into more specific categories based on the ratio of the elements, such as the perovskites. Due to the hard superconductors stability at high temperatures, they are much better for industrial use (Maglev trains, MRI machines) than soft ones.
Some believe that there will be a limit on the temperature that hard superconductors will be able function but as of right now we have not found such a limit. Personally, I believe that as the technology we create improves, so will the top temperature and the usability of these superconductors.
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